Wire-stretcher.



No. 662,133. Patented Nov. 20, |900. B. H. PASSMRE.

WIRE STBETCHEB.

(Application filed June 12, 1900.) .y

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BENJAMINE H. PASSMORE, OF STOCKDALE, TEXAS.

WIRE-STRETCHER'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 662,133, dated November20, 190.

Application filed June 12,1900.

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Be it known that I, BENJAMINE H. PAss# MORE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Stockdale, in the county of WVilson and State ofTexas, have invented a new and useful Wire-Stretcher, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in wire-stretchers.

One object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofWire-stretchers and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensiveone adapted to draw the ends of a broken wire together to enable thesaine to be readily spliced or connected and capable of being readilyarranged for stretchinga wire to a fence-post.

Another object of the invention is to arrange the parts so that themeans for engaging the ratchet-wheel will serve for cutting wire.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a wire-stretcherconstructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective View of thecrankhandle.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all theligures of the drawings.

l designates a frame which may be of any desired form and which isprovided at opposite sides with bearings for the reception of rotated bya crank 3, carries a ratchet-wheel 4, arranged to be engaged by a lever5. The sides 6 and 7 ot' the frame are parallel, and the ends, which areprovided with central openings 8, are composed of parallel centralportions and have angularly-disposed corner portions, as clearly shownin Fig. l. The crank, which is detachably mounted on the end of theshaft, consist-s of a bar or body portion 3a and an arm 3b, extendingfrom the outer end of the body portion or bar and forming the handle orgrip of the crank. The

outer end of the body portion or bar 3L is pro- Serial No. 20,064. (Nomodel.)

vided with a claw 3c, and the outer end of the grip or arm 3b isenlarged and provided with a cutting edge 3d to form a hatchet, which isespecially adapted for removing bark from posts previous to stapling orotherwise securing the fence-wires to them. The crank-han-v dle isprovided with a projection 3', arranged in alineinent with the arm orgrip 3b, and forming a hammer-head for driving staples into fence-postsand the like. The inner end of the bar or body portion 3a is providedwith a slot 3f, extending from the opening for the shaft and adapted toreceive the ends of a wire, whereby the latter may be readily twist.- edtogether. After the ends of a broken wire have been drawn together bythe wirestretcher, as hereinafterexplained, the crankhandle may beremoved to enable the ends of the said wire to be twisted together. Whenthe crank-handle is removed, the bar or body portion 3 forms the handlefor the hatchet and hammer and the projecting ham mer-head or portion 3eforms an etlicient fulcrum when the crank-handle is employed as a leverfor extracting staples or for other purposes. The shaft is provided witha central opening 9 to receive the chain l0, which is composed of twosections ll and l2, the section 11 being provided adjacent to the shaftwith a ring 13 and the section l2 being provided at its inner end with ahook le for engaging the ring 13. The chain extends through the centralopenings 8 of the ends of the frame and is provided atthe outer ends ofthe sections with clamps l5 and l for engaging the ends of a brokenfence-wire, and when the shaft is rotated the chain is wound around thesame and operates to draw the ends of the wire together, so that thelatter may be readily spliced.

Each clamp is provided with a clamping or cam lever 16a, having aserrated engaging portion located adjacent to a flange 17 and mounted onthe body port-ion 18 of the clamp. The body portion 18 is provided witha hook 1.() and is adapted to engage the adjacent section of the chainwhen the wire-stretcher is arranged for stretching fencewires to afence-post. Then it is desired to stretch a wire against a fence-post,the sections of the chain are uncoupled, and the section l2 may beemployed as the means for securing'the IOO fratrie to the post. The hook14 is brought over the end of the frame and engaged with one of thelinks of the section 12 of the chain,

and the said section 12 is passed around a post and is secured to thesame by engaging the hook 19 of its clamp with it at the post. The othersection of the chain is secured to the shaft, and its clamp is engagedwith the wire to be stretched. The shaft is then ro# tated and thefence-wire is stretched to the desired tension. After the fence Wire isstretched to the desired tension it is locked in such position by thelever 5, which is fulcrumed at its end 2O on the side 6 of the frame,and it is provided between its ends with a tooth 21 forengagingtheratchet-wheel 4. The lever, which has its outer end shaped into a handleor grip, is located adjacent to a notch 22 and is adapted to swing pastthe same for cutting a wire placed therein.

The frame is provided at one side with an arm 23, terminatingin a claw24 and adapted to be used for extracting staples from fenceposts.

It will he seen that the wire-stretcher is exceedingly simple andinexpensive in construction, that itis easily operated, and that it maybe readily arranged for drawing the ends of a broken wire together forsplicing the same. It will also he apparent that the sectional chain orconnection is adapted to be uncoupled, so that. it may be employed formise anchoring the frame to a fence-post or other support.

What I claim is- 1. A wire-stretcher comprising a frame provided at eachend with a guide-opening, a shaft arranged between' the ends of theframe and having an opening, a flexible connection passing through theguide-openings of the frame and extending beyond both ends of the latterand also passing through the opening of the shaft, said connection beingcomposed of two sections detachably coupled, whereby they are adaptedfor drawing the ends of a broken wire together and for anchoring theframe to a post to stretch a Wire to the same, clamps arranged at theends of the flexible connections 'and having hooks, and means foroperating the shaft, substantially as described. g

2. In a wire-stretcher, the combination ofa frame, a shaft, aratchet-wheel connected with the shaft, and a pivoted lever providedwith a tooth for engaging the wheel and located adjacent to a notch toform a wirecut y ter, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMINE H. PASSMORE.

Witnesses:

G. B. PALM, J. C. CARR.

